At Namibian Parliament, Modi calls for stronger collaboration
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At Namibian Parliament, Modi calls for stronger collaboration
India and Africa should work together to create a future defined by partnership and dialogue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. The southern African nation was the last leg of Modi’s five-nation tour and the address to the lawmakers was his final engagement in Namibia. “We seek not to compete but to cooperate. Our goal is to build together. Not to take, but to grow together,” he said. India will support the next generation of Namibian scientists, doctors and leaders and provide training in defence and security. India is also ready to supply Namibia with a Bhabhatron radiotherapy machine for advanced cancer care and the country can also benefit from the Jan Aushadhi programme for access to affordable medicines.
Modi also called for a stronger bilateral partnership between India and Namibia to drive cooperation in areas ranging from trade and development partnership to digital solutions and healthcare. The southern African nation was the last leg of Modi’s five-nation tour and the address to the lawmakers was his final engagement in Namibia.
At a time when India is giving direction to the dreams of the world with the focus on the Global South, Africa must not be just a source of raw materials and it should lead in value creation and sustainable growth. “We are ready to expand our cooperation in defence and security. India values Africa’s role in world affairs,” he said.
India’s development has shown the Global South can lead and shape its own future.
“We must act together. Let us create a future defined not by power, but by partnership, not by dominance, but by dialogue, not by exclusion, but by equity,” he said.
“Our development partnership in Africa is worth over $12 billion. But its real value is in shared growth and shared purpose. We continue to build local skills, create local jobs and support local innovations,” he added.
India’s engagement with Africa is based on respect, equality and mutual benefit. “We seek not to compete but to cooperate. Our goal is to build together. Not to take, but to grow together,” he said.
In the bilateral context, Modi said more than 1,700 Namibians had benefited from India’s scholarships and capacity building programmes. India will support the next generation of Namibian scientists, doctors and leaders and provide training in defence and security. The introduction of a digital payments system based on India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) will facilitate faster transfer of funds and there is potential to grow bilateral trade, he said. India is also ready to supply Namibia with a Bhabhatron radiotherapy machine for advanced cancer care and the country can also benefit from the Jan Aushadhi programme for access to affordable medicines, Modi said.
Modi also highlighted the historical and cultural ties between the two countries. “The people of India stood proudly with Namibia during your liberation struggle. Even before our own independence, India raised the issue of South West Africa at the UN,” he said. “And it was an Indian, Lt Gen Diwan Prem Chand, who led the UN peacekeeping force in Namibia.”
Modi has now delivered 17 addresses in foreign parliaments, matching the combined total of all Congress PMs. This was achieved with his speeches in the parliaments of Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Namibia during his five-nation tour. In 2014, Modi addressed the parliaments of Australia, Fiji, Bhutan and Nepal.
In 2015, he addressed the parliaments of the UK, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius. He addressed a joint session of the US Congress in 2016 and 2023.